Releasable bottle sealing caps



March 12, 1963 J. J. FOX

RELEASABLE BOTTLE SEALING CAPS Filed Feb. 26, 1960 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O U ce 3,080,991 RELEASABLE BUITLE SEALING CAPS John J. Fox, 2979 W. 37th Ave, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed Feb. 26, 196i), Ser. No. 11,358

1 Claim. (Cl. 215-41) This invention relates to releasable sealing caps for hot. tles, and particularly for bottles containing liquids under pressure, such as carbonated beverages and beer, although it may be used on bottles containing other liquids.

Carbonated beverages, commonly called soft drinks, and beer are kept and sold in bottles. These liquids are maintained under pressure, and the bottles must have'caps that will withstand the pressure in the bottles. At the present time, most of these liquids under pressure are kept in bottles having crown caps thereon. These hold the pressure satisfactorily, but they are difiicult to get off, and require special bottle openers. As a result of this, it is very difiicult if not impossible,.to open a bottle without a proper opener. Bottles are often chipped and broken in efforts to remove the caps without bottle openers.

Carbonated beverages are often drunk straight out of the bottle. Although the crown caps cover the end of the bottle neck, they do not cover any appreciable length of the neck and therefore a person drinking from a bottle may be exposed to dirt on the neck.

An object of the present invention is the provision of bottle sealing caps which may be removed from the bottles without the necessity of any tool for the purpose.

Another object is the provision of a releasable bottle cap which may be easily removed from the bottle and yet will provide a complete seal for the contents.

A further object is the provision of a releasable bottle sealing cap which covers a substantial portion of the bottle neck at the endthereof to protect it from dirt.

Another object is the provision of a releasable sealing cap which may be applied to bottles by machinery now used for applying crown caps.

Bottles for carbonated beverages, beer and other liquids have comparatively long slender necks. Each bottle has a bead around its upper end upon which crown caps are mounted, and it also has a shoulder formed on the neck thereof spaced downwardly from the upper end of the neck. The present sealing caps utilize this shoulder or, inother words, the shoulder helps to keep the caps in place.

A releasable sealing cap according to the present invention includes a cover shaped to fit over the outer end of a bottle neck, and a compressible plug connected to the cover centrally thereof and projecting downwardly therefrom. This plug is of such size as slidably and snugly to fit down into the neck to seal the bottle. An annular skirt depends from the cover spaced outwardly from the plug sutliciently to slip over the outer surface of the neck, and is long enough to fit over the neck shoulder. Gripping 3,080,991 Patented Mar. 12, 1963 ly under pressure in the bottle to increase the sealing effect as the pressure in the bottle increases. The flexible wire is at least partly molded into or forms part of the material forming the skirt, and when it is pulled outwardly relative to the skirt, the latter is severed. This wire may extend all the way around the skirt, but it may not completely encircle the skirt so that when it is pulled outwardly therefrom, a small portion of the skirt material is left attached to the rib-which is still beneath the bottle neck shoulder. This piece of material may be pulled downwardly relative to the bottle to break the rib and completely. free the skirt from the bottle. The severing of the skirtmakes it possible to pull the cover with the plug attached to it away from the bottle by hand; i Two forms of releasable bottle sealing caps are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a bottle neck with a preferred form of sealing cap thereon,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the cap,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, f 1

FIGURE 5 is a side'elevation of the bottle neck with the cap partially removed therefrom,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of acap looking into the lower end thereof, f

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section through a slightly modified form of cap, and

FIGURE 8 is a vertical section through a bottle neck with the cap of FIGURE 7 thereon.

means is provided on the skirt to fit beneath the neck shoulder firmly to retain the plug in the neck against pressure from within the bottle. A flexible wireis at least partially embedded in and extends at least part way around the skirt between the gripping means and the cover, and has an end projecting outwardly from the skirt to provide a finger grip by meansof which the wire may be pulled outwardly to sever the skirt and thereby free the cover and plug of the gripping means: The term wire as used herein is intended to include actual wire, or strong string, thread or the like. It is preferable to make the plug hollow so that it opens inwardly of the bottle.

In the preferred form of the invention, the cap is formed of a strong, stifHy-resilient plastic, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. These plastics are very suitable since they are non-corrosive, strong, and yet has a certain degree of flexibility and even elasticity. The cover, plug Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6 of the drawings, 10 is the neck of a bottle of the type used for carbonated beverages and beer. This neck has an upper or outer end 11 with a head 12 therearound. A shoulder 13 is formed on the neck spaced downwardly from the end 12. The standard crown caps are usually crimped on to the beads 12 of bottles of this type.

A releasable bottle sealing cap 20 is fitted on to bottle neck 10. As stated above, it is preferable to form the cap of suitable plastic material, such as polyethylene, but other materials may be used if desired. The illustrated cap is formed of plastic. v

Cap 20 includes a cover 22 which is shaped to fit over the outer end 11 of the bottle neck. As these ends are usually circular, cover 22 is also circular. It has 'a fiat iner surface 23 that bears against the outer surface of end '11, as clearly shown in FIGURE 3. A compressible plug 26 is connected to the cover centrally thereof and projects downwardly therefrom; This plug is of a size slidably and snugly to fit down into neck 11 to seal the bottle. The plug has an .outer annular surface 29 which bears against the inner surface 30 of the bottle neck. Although plug 26 may be solid, it is preferable to make it in the form of a thin sleeve 32 which is stiff enough to fit snugly and firmly in the bottle neck, and yet is resilient enough to expand laterally under gaspressure in the bottle to increase the pressure of outer surface 29 'of theplug against surface '30 of the bottle neck, thereby increasing the sealing effect of the plug as the pressure in the bottle increases.

An annular skirt 35 depends from cover 22 and is spaced outwardly from plug 26 sufficiently to slip over the outer surface of neck 10. This skirt is long enough to fit over neck shoulder 13. Actually, plug 26 and skirt 35 form an annular space 37 therebetween in which neck and yet will stretch sufiiciently to enable the rib to be moved over the neck shoulder, after which the polyethylene returns to its normal shape.

A flexible wire 45 is preferably embedded in and ex-v tends around skirt 35 between the gripping rib 4t and cover 22 thereof. However, the wire may extend around the inner surface of the skirt and have its ends extending into or through said skirt. This wire may be formed or' metal, or it may be strong thread, string or the like. The wire has an end projecting outwardly from the skirt to form a finger grip 46. Wire 45 may extend all the way around skirt 35, but it preferably extends only most of the way around, as shown in FIGURE 4, to leave a section 47 of the skirt without a wire extending therethrough, Suitable anchor means, such as a hook 49, may be formed on the inner end of wire 45.

Itwill be noted that wire 45 does not cause any material distortion of skirt 35 since it is preferably partially or completely embedded therein. Finger grip 46 may be pressed against the outer surface of the skirt, or the wire may be long enough to permit said grip to be pressed against neck just under shoulder 13.

Cap 20 may be very easily and quickly applied to the outer end of bottle neck 10. It is merely aligned with said end and pressed downwardly over the neck. During this operation, rib 40 rides downwardly over shoulder 13 and snaps into position beneath said shoulder. At the same time, plug 26 enters the bottle neck and is held in position by gripping rib 40. The inner surface 23 of cover 22 is held against the outer end 11 of the neck. With this arrangement, skirt 35 covers a substantial portion of the bottle neck at the outer end thereof to protect it from dirt. Pressure from within the bottle against the inner surface of cover 22 would tend to stretch skirt 35 in a longitudinal direction, thereby causing rib 40 to tend to swing inwardly beneath shoulder 13. However, the material from which the skirt is made is strong enough to withstand any such action resulting from the internal pressure. The pressure within the bottle is also applied to the inner surface of sleeve 32 thus pressing it against the inner surface of neck 10. Therefore, as the pressure in the bottle increases, so the pressure of sleeve 32 laterally against the bottle neck also increases, thereby maintaining an effective seal to prevent leakage of liquid or gases from the bottle.

No special tool is required to remove cap 20 from the bottle neck. It is only necessary to grasp finger grip 46 and to pull outwardly'to tear Wire 45 through skirt 35. This severs the skirt, separating gripping rib 40 from cover 22 and plug 26. vAs previously stated, the wire may extend all the way around the skirt so that the cover and plug are completely separated from the rib. On the other hand, if the portion 47 of the skirt is left without anyv wire extending therethrough, the outer portion of the cap, including cover 22 and plug 26, remains partially connected to the gripping rib, although it may be swung away from the outer end of the bottle neck. This leaves the cap still attached to the bottle where it may be left for the sake of convenience. In order completely to remove the cap, it is only necessary to pull downwardly on the portion thereof which is still connected to rib 40 through section 47 of the skirt. This causes the material to rip and release rib 40 from the bottle neck. The outer portion of the cap may be replaced on the outer end of the neck to form a closure therefor.

Cap 20 is of such shape that it will fit into standard crown cap applying machines. The crimpers of these machines are removed since they are no longer required.

If desired, the inner surface of the cap may be coated by or lined with a suitable material to protect the material of the cap from the contents of the bottle, and/ or said contents from the cap material. Furthermore, the cap may be provided with a weakened spot so that it will blow out before the bottle breaks under abnormal internal pressure.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a slightly modified form of cap 20a from a bottle neck of the type having a screw thread 56 on the outer surface thereof at its outer end, and a shoulder 58 below this thread. This type of bottle neck is usually used with a screw cap.

The skirt 35a of cap Zila has a screw thread 60 on its inner surface immediately beneath cover 22 designed to fit thread 56 of bottle neck 55. The skirt is just long enough to ensure gripping rib 40a fitting beneath neck shoulder 58 when cover 22 bears against the outer end or the neck with plug 26 fitting snugly within the latter.

Cap 20a may be pressed on to neck 55 since the flexibility of skirt 35a permits threads 60 of the cap to ride over neck threads 56 until they fit between the latter. Rib 40a fits beneath shoulder 58 firmly to retain the cap in position. When wire 45 is pulled outwardly, the cap skirt is severed as described above to permit the outer part of the cap and plug 26 to be removed from the bottle neck. This outer portion of the cap may then be screwed back on the neck to acts as an ordinary closure for the bottle.

What I claim as my invention is:

A sealing cap for a bottle, said bottle comprising a generally cylindrical neck having a screw threaded portion and annular shoulder means below said threaded portion, said cap comprising a cap section including a cover with a depending annular skirt, the inner surface of said skirt having a projecting screw thread means, an annular skirt extension having a locking projection at its lower end, tear means connecting said skirt and skirt extension, said screw thread means being yieldable to ride over the neck threads and said locking projection being yieldable to spring around and lock under said shoulder means when said cap is axially telescoped over said neck, said locking projection exerting a camming action on said shoulder means to draw said cover down against the bottle mouth, said screw thread means being sufiiciently rigid to cooperate with the neck threads in normal screw thread fashion after said tear means is removed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,198,117 Kancer Apr. 23, 1940 2,772,802 Woydatt Dec. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,200 Great Britain Nov. 26, 1913 782,574 Great Britain Sept. 11, 1957 561,168 Belgium Oct. 15, 1957 1,062,564 Germany July 30, 1959 

